QUÉBEC CITY, May 2, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Matériaux Blanchet is proud to announce an investment of over $25 M to modernize its planing plant in Amos. The company will be installing a state-of-the-art planer mill that will ensure its competitiveness over the next several years, increase the profitability of its lumber production and keep a maximum number of jobs in the area.
The project involves erecting a 61,000 sq. ft. building next to the existing plant, to house the new planer. The construction is set to begin in June 2018 and should be fully operational by September 2019.
A transition plan to support its employees
The major investment also includes measures to support employees who will be affected by this technological change, since some jobs will be redefined and others abolished. "We are facing the same issues as other Quebec manufacturers. Modernizing our facilities has become vital to ensure the company's continuity," said Patrick LeBlanc, vice-president of operations at Matériaux Blanchet.
Over the next few weeks, Matériaux Blanchet's management will be meeting with all employees that will be affected by this change, to inform them of the means the company is placing at their disposal to support them during the transition. It also plans to regularly inform employees of the construction's progress.
The company's decision-makers will do what is necessary to maintain the position Matériaux Blanchet has carved for itself over the last 60 years and to continue contributing to the economic vitality of the regions in which its plants have been based for decades.
About Matériaux Blanchet
Matériaux Blanchet Inc. is one of Quebec's largest independent private sawmills, with an annual production capacity of over 300 million FBM of softwood. The company runs two integrated sawing, drying and planning complexes, one in Saint-Pamphile (Bas-Saint-Laurent) and the other in Amos (Abitibi-Témiscamingue). Matériaux Blanchet mainly produces lumber for the construction industry and for industrial applications. It also produces wood by-products, such as wood chips, wood shavings, sawdust and bark, which are used in the pulp and paper industry and by panel makers, energy companies and wood pellet and animal bedding companies.
http://www.materiauxblanchet.ca/?language=en
SOURCE Matériaux Blanchet inc.
Source: Patrick LeBlanc, Vice-President, Operations, Matériaux Blanchet inc.; Information: Manon Rouillier, Relations, Rouillier Stratégie Marketing, T 418 780-5391, ext. 2201, C 418 571-6755
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